Not Today
by Pandaboo704
Summary: Johnny and Roy are having the type of day that makes them each wish they hadn't got out of bed this morning. Until they meet a victim that isn't wasting any mornings.


Roy felt the warmth of the sun against his face. He rolled over and slowly opened one eye, focusing on the black and white blurriness that would be his alarm clock as soon as his eyes focused. "Not today," he groaned as he realized the hands on the clock indicating he had 15 minutes to get out the door.

"Joanne, we overslept. I gotta rush; I'm gonna be late," Roy said loudly, as he jumped out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

"Not today," Joanne mumbled as she rolled out of bed, reaching for a pair of jeans. It was her turn to drive the carpool for school. She rummaged through her dresser drawer looking for a t-shirt and then looked at her image in the mirror. "Good grief," she mumbled, taking in the mess of red hair sticking up in all different directions.

She joined Roy in the bathroom grabbing her brush and pulling it through her hair. She pulled harder as the brush encountered snarls and felt her scalp being pulled as the brush worked through the mass of knots. She quickly pulled out a ponytail holder and pulled her hair through the elastic band. She did not have time to deal with it, not today.

Joanne quickly went into Chris's bedroom. The sun was peeking around the edges of the curtains as her son slept peacefully arms and legs sprawled in all different directions, blankets hanging off the bed. "Chris, get up, we're late," Joanne said, as she pulled the curtains open letting bright sunlight fill the room and land directly on her son's face. Chris's only response was a faint moan as he draped an arm over his eyes, blocking the offending light.

"Chris, get up!" Joanne said loudly, as she was leaving the room. "I don't have time for this today."

Joanne heard Roy turn off the water in the shower as she hurried to her daughter's bedroom. "Jenny, honey, you gotta get up," Joanne said, a bit softer than her statement to Chris, but not by much. Jenny was younger and startled easier. The young girl was cocooned in her blankets; nose, eyes and red hair peeking out from the top of the blanket. Joanne opened the curtains, sunlight filtering in and leaving a pattern on the carpet as is moved around all the stickers on the little girl's window.

Joanne sat briefly on the edge of the bed and pulled back the blankets. "No," Jenny mumbled, pulling the blankets back up.

"Jennifer Leigh DeSoto," Joanne said more sternly. "You've got to get up and get dressed. It's already almost 7:30 AM and we're gonna be late for school."

Joanne got up and pulled the outfit she had picked out last night for her daughter. She tossed it on the bed. "Get dressed," Joanne said, watching as the little girl slowly extricated herself from the mountain of blankets. "Quickly."

Joanne hurried back down the hall to check on Chris. He was still laying in bed. "Not today," she mumbled to herself.

"Christopher! Get up, right now, or I'll have your dad spank your behind," Joanne said, pulling open one drawer and selecting a pair of jeans. She tossed them across the room, where they landed on Chris's face.

"Mom!" Chris cried out.

"Get up!" Joanne said, pulling open a second drawer and tossing a shirt at him. She opened the top drawer and tossed a pair of socks at him. "Hurry."

Joanne nearly bumped into Roy in the hallway, as he charged out of the bedroom.

She let him go down the stairs first. He started pulling on his socks and reaching for his shoes. Joanne grabbed a loaf of bread, quickly dropping two slices into the toaster. She reached for a bunch of bananas sitting on the counter and pulled a banana free. She allowed herself to glance just briefly at the coffee pot. There would not be any time for coffee this morning.

Joanne quickly opened the refrigerator and got out the butter, pulling open a drawer for a knife. When the toaster popped she quickly buttered the two slices of bread, putting the buttered sides together. Roy came over and quickly dropped a kiss on her lips, while slinging his bag over his shoulder. If traffic was okay he wouldn't be late; he thought as he glanced at the clock. Joanne shoved the bread and banana into his free hand, returning his kiss.

"See ya tomorrow kids," Roy called out, as he raced out the back door to his Porsche.

Joanne dropped two more slices of bread in the toaster and grabbed two more bananas. The kids would just have to eat in the car, she thought as she glanced at the clock. Barring any more issues, she'd still get all the kids to school on time.

E

Johnny flushed the toilet and turned to get in the shower. His body naturally recoiled as cold water hit his skin still warm from being in bed. "What the…," Johnny said, reaching for the knobs. No, the knob for the hot water was on and turned just passed the halfway point. Johnny turned it all the way to hot, waiting almost a full minute and then stuck his hand back under what was still barely lukewarm water.

Johnny turned off the water and threw on his boxers before trudging down the hall and toward the utility closet in the apartment. He opened the door, and knelt down on the floor without turning on a light. The pilot on the hot water heater was out. "Ugh, not today," Johnny said, standing up and heading into the kitchen to get a box of matches out of the cupboard. He walked back over to the utility closet, got down on the floor and quickly slid the match across the side of the box, the orange flame jumping to life at the end of the short wooden stick. Johnny reached in and lit the pilot on the water heater. It caught, and the unit started to heat. Johnny sighed knowing he didn't have time to wait for the water to get hot.

He strode back to the bathroom, stripped off his boxers and turned the hot water all the way on, leaving the cold water handle in the off position. He grit his teeth and quickly jumped into the shower. Fighting the instinct to jump away from the cold water hitting his skin, he quickly got his hair and body wet. He turned off the water and reached for his shampoo, quickly lathering up his thick, dark hair. Letting the shampoo sit in his hair, he grabbed the bar of soap and quickly worked on scrubbing his body. When he was coated in a thick layer of soap suds, he reached for the hot water knob again. Turning the water all the way on, he forced himself to stand under the stinging spray as he rinsed the shampoo out of his hair and soap from his body.

As soon as he was sufficiently rinsed, Johnny turned off the water and quickly grabbed his bath towel. He vigorously rubbed his body with the thick towel, not only to dry the water, but warm his chilled skin. He dressed quickly and ran his hands through his wet hair as he looked in the mirror. There certainly wasn't any need to wipe the steam off the mirror before attempting to shave, he thought with a small shiver.

Johnny quickly applied the shaving lotion to his face, he leaned close to the mirror and watched as the razor removed the white cream for his cheek and listened to the sound of the blades as they cut bristly hair from his cheeks, chin and upper lip. Johnny splashed the cool water on his facing and then used the towel to remove any remnants of shaving cream.

He quickly brushed his teeth and headed toward the front door to grab his bag and keys. He'd stop by the diner for breakfast on his way in, he thought, thinking of the cute new waitress who had started last week. Maybe he'd ask if she was free Saturday night.

Johnny pulled into the diner and just dropped his head as he heard a loud pop and felt the front driver's side of the Rover lean to the side. "Not today," Johnny moaned as he opened the door and looked at the flat tire.

He walked into the restaurant and smiled as Delores hurried over to him, but his eyes quickly roamed the restaurant looking for the woman with long, dark hair. "You can quit looking, honey," Delores said, watching Johnny's eyes. "She called and quit this morning, no notice, no nothing'; just said she didn't like the job and wasn't comin' back," Delores reached for a menu and turned to lead Johnny to a booth.

"Actually, Delores, I just ran over a nail in the parking lot and got a flat tire. I need to change it so I'm not late for work. Can you just have James fix me a bacon and egg sandwich and bring it out to me?" Johnny gave her his best sad face.

Delores laughed, "Who could say no to that face. I'll bring it out as soon as it's ready."

"Thanks," Johnny said, already turning and reaching for the door. He opened the back of his Rover and pulled out his jack and the spare tire. He was just finishing tightening the lug nuts when Delores walked out with his sandwich wrapped in paper towels.

"Put that stuff away; I brought a rag for you to clean your hands on," She said, indicating the wet towel in her other hand.

"Thanks, Delores, you're a life saver," Johnny said, dropping a quick kiss on her cheek, as he moved to put the flat tire and jack in the back of the Rover. Johnny quickly wiped his hands and grabbed the sandwich. He'd have to eat while he drove to the station.

E

Chet watched from the comfort of the couch, Henry lounging on his lap, as Johnny raced in the back door and skidded around the corner trying to get to the locker room. He raised an eyebrow when a few minutes later, Roy completed the exact same move.

"Alright, Henry, you gotta move," Chet said, picking the Bassett hound up off his lap and sliding him down some on the couch, so he could stand.

He slipped his hands in his pockets as he slowly meandered toward the locker room.

"You guys are cutting it awfully close today," Chet said, pushing open the door and eyeing the frantic movements of the two paramedics.

"Not today," Roy and Johnny both said in unison, as Roy quickly buttoned his shirt and Johnny sat down on the bottom of his locker, putting his shoes on the bench as he quickly pulled the laces tight.

"Roll call," Mike called from the bay.

Roy and Johnny quickly slammed their lockers, following Chet out into the bay.

Captain Stanley moved to the front of the men and started to go over the daily announcements. He was quickly interrupted by the sound of the klaxons and Sam's smooth voice across the speaker calling out the squad for a possible heart attack.

The first run of the morning was quickly followed by two more runs without the chance to even make it back to the station. Johnny and Roy had just made it back and managed to pour themselves each a cup of coffee when the klaxons sounded yet again.

"Squad 51, woman down, Riverside Park, along the path near the water, just north of the pavilion. Time out 10:02."

Roy and Johnny both looked longingly at their cups of coffee before sitting them on the table and moving toward the squad.

Captain Stanley keyed the microphone, as he watched Roy yank open the driver's side door and shut it with a bit more force than necessary.

"10-4, KMG 365," Captain Stanley tore the slip of paper from the pad and moved to hand it to Roy.

Mike had opened the bay door and Marco and Chet moved to stand in front of the Engine, out of the way of the soon departing squad, red lights swirling and the siren going as Roy pulled out into traffic, making a left toward Riverside park.

Johnny scanned the traffic as they approached intersections. "Get outta the way," Johnny said, more to himself since the driver in front of them couldn't hear him, but feeling the extreme exasperation that came from being behind slow moving vehicles, refusing to yield, when he knew someone needed their help.

Roy maneuvered the squad around the offending vehicle and Johnny gave them an evil look as they sped by. "People that like just get on my nerves. One day, I would love to just follow them and give them an earful when they got out of their car," he griped.

"Not today," Roy said, knowing he agreed with Johnny, but with the mood he was in he'd end up getting reprimanded for what he said.

"Tell me about it," Johnny agreed. They hadn't had a chance to talk, but after several years as not only partners, but best friends, they both knew they were having the same type of day.

Roy turned into Riverside park and saw a woman waving at them. He pulled to the side, silencing the sirens and stopped near her, but neither he nor Johnny moved, since they couldn't see a victim anywhere. "She's down that path, just around the curve. She was just laying on the grass, not moving. I asked if she was okay, she said yes, but…," the woman hesitated.

"If she said she was okay; why did you call?" Johnny asked, feeling a bit of his frustration return.

"You'll see," the woman said quietly, looking down at the ground.

Roy slowly accelerated taking the squad down the hill and around the curve. It only took a moment to see the figure laying in the grass. Roy and Johnny exchanged glances and Roy pulled the vehicle a little closer and then quickly put it into park, Johnny was already getting out of the vehicle and headed toward the young woman.

E

Marie could feel the fatigue overpowering her. When she had first started her walk, she had felt good, not great, but better than she had in the last several weeks. She knew walking to the park was ambitious, but as it became harder to put one foot in front of the other, she knew it had actually been foolish. She really shouldn't have tried this for a couple of more weeks at least.

She felt like a weighted blanket was being draped over her and more and more weight was continually being added until she knew she couldn't push herself any further. Marie staggered slightly as she made her way to the side of the path. There was a hill to her right and if she laid down there, she would at least be able to look out at the lake, when she was finally strong enough to open her eyes again, Marie thought as she let her body fall onto the thick grass. Any remaining energy was spent getting herself positioned so it looked like she was just bathing in the sun, not passing out from sheer exhaustion.

"Are you okay?" Marie opened her eyes, only to shut them again against the glare of the sun. She wasn't sure how long she'd been laying there, she thought maybe she fell asleep, or passed out. She admitted the later was probably more likely than the former.

"Mmmhhh," Marie mumbled.

"What? I'm sorry, I didn't understand you. Do you need help?" The woman asked again, her tone starting to take on that panicky sound that Marie knew only too well.

"No, I'm fine," Marie forced her mouth and tongue to move, to form words. They sounded slow and slurred even to her own ears, but they were actual words.

"Are you sure, you look like you're sick?"

"I'm okay," Marie said again; this time forcing her eyes open. The woman had moved forward and was at least blocking the direct sunlight so Marie could keep her eyes open for a few seconds. A pair of blue eyes looked back at her. Marie recognized the look immediately and wasn't going to have any of it. "I'm fine, just napping." Marie closed her eyes, hoping the woman would go away.

A faint flicker of a smile played on her lips as she suddenly felt the heat of the sun on her face. The woman was moving away. Marie let herself relax under the warmth of the sun and felt herself start to drift off again, still not sure if she was falling asleep or losing consciousness, but deciding that for the moment she really didn't care either way. The sun felt great, the grass was thick and soft. She could hear birds chirping in nearby trees, the sounds of the water lapping against the shore. When she'd had her eyes open the sky had been a soft blue and completely without any clouds. These types of days were to be cherished.

E

The rumbling of an engine and the faintest squeak of brakes had Marie wondering again, how long she'd been out. She heard a car door open and shut and forced her eyes to open. The sun hadn't really moved much, but she could see a red light breaking through the bright sunlight. Crap, Marie thought, the woman hadn't believed her; she closed her eyes again, not wanting to deal with another person.

Johnny walked over toward the woman laying on the ground. He thought he'd seen her open her eyes briefly, but he wasn't sure. He let his eyes sweep over her; she was very thin, too thin. Her skin was so pale, it was almost translucent, but the sun was doing a good job of giving it a pink glow. He watched her chest rise and fall, being able to tell by just looking at her that her breathing was shallow and slower than he wanted it to be. His eyes examined her face, full lips, a nicely shaped nose, her cheekbones stood out more than they should because of how thin she was, but despite that, she was a very pretty young woman. His brain took in the lack of eyelashes and the pretty silk scarf that obviously covered a scalp devoid of hair.

He knelt down beside the young woman, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She didn't move. "Miss? Miss, can you hear me?" Johnny asked.

Marie listened to the deep voice asking her a question. She knew he was coming, had seen the beginning of his shadow before she'd closed her eyes again, but hearing that voice meant she could no longer ignore she was going to have to have this conversation.

"Yes," Marie said quietly.

"Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere? Are you having trouble breathing?" Johnny felt he already knew the answer to the last question. Kneeling down near her, he could see her chest rising slowly, hear the slight rasping as she drew in a breath.

"I'm fine," Marie said quietly.

Johnny looked up at Roy who was almost next to him and they exchanged doubtful looks. Roy sat the biophone and drug box next to Johnny and went back for the oxygen, having observed the same thing about her breathing that Johnny had noticed as he approached.

"We got a call that said you weren't feeling too well," Johnny tried a different track.

"I told that woman I was fine," Marie said, her voice a bit stronger than it had been when she spoke to the woman earlier. Marie forced herself to open her eyes. She gave a small smile, the man had positioned himself so he was blocking the sun and she could see him. He was very cute, thick black hair and deep brown eyes that reminded her of melted chocolate. Only his eyes had "that look" in them; that cross between concern and pity. She hated that look, having seen it too many times, in too many sets of eyes. Marie closed her eyes and turned her head, feeling a wave a nausea wash over her. She swallowed hard. Just once, she wanted to see the impassive gaze she used to see when she walked down the street. People that didn't really notice her or care what she was doing. She never realized how much she was going to miss being just one of the masses.

"What's your name?" Johnny asked.

"Marie."

"Marie, that's a pretty name. Marie, what's your last name?"

Marie looked back over at him. Johnny gave her a crooked smile that made her stomach do a little flip flop. Oh, he was a cutie. "Marie Sanders."

"Marie, can I take your pulse," Johnny asked, carefully taking her wrist in his hand. Her wrist looked tiny in his hand, her pulse was weak under his fingertips. Marie wanted to object, but his hands were warm and felt wonderful. "I'm just gonna check your breathing," Johnny said as he moved his hand to her abdomen. Marie frowned; she had vague memories of men in uniforms like this doing these things to her before.

Roy knelt down next to him. "Pulse is 45, respirations are 16," Johnny said quietly.

Marie turned to look at the new man sitting next to her. He was handsome too, different than his young, carefree, dark-haired partner, but handsome, with his intense eyes and full lips. His looks instantly inspired trust. He had sandy brown hair and beautiful blue eyes, that held the same look as his counterpart. Marie narrowed her eyes as she watched "blue eyes" open an orange box. She had seen one of those before, they used it to call the hospital and then some faceless doctor made men like this do things to her. "No," Marie said, putting as much force as she could into that one word.

"We need to get the doctor on the line to figure out how best to help you," Roy said, looking over at the young woman.

"No. I'm not going to the hospital and you're not going to be poking and prodding me," Marie said, struggling to sit up.

"Calm down, just calm down," Johnny said, applying just a tiny bit of pressure to her shoulder and then quickly moving to support her when she started to fall back, much quicker than he had anticipated. She was so very weak.

"We're just trying to help you," Roy reasoned with her.

"No. No medical treatments. None," Marie said.

Roy and Johnny exchanged glances.

"Marie," Roy started slowly.

"I'm done with treatments. I just got out of the hospital 10 days ago. No more doctors, no more needles, no more drugs, no more," Marie said. She was starting to feel better just thinking about the fact she was done with all those horrible treatments.

"Marie, sometimes chemotherapy can cause blood clots. With the way you're breathing," Johnny started.

"I have two pulmonary embolisms," Marie said. "That's why I was in the hospital last week. I'm on blood thinners."

"They may not be enough," Johnny said. "You really should let us take you in and let them check you out."

"No," Marie said.

Johnny and Roy stood up and moved toward the squad. "What do we do now?" Johnny asked Roy.

"We can't treat her without her consent," Roy said. "But," Roy looked back over at her.

"I know, I hate the idea of leaving her too," Johnny agreed.

"There was a hot dog vendor at the entrance to the park, you hungry?" Roy asked.

"What?"

"Unless we get another call, I thought I'd go grab us some hot dogs, chips and drinks. We can sit and have lunch with her. Give her some nourishment, fluids and keep an eye on her for a little bit; all without treating her."

"It's 10:30 in the morning, and you wanna get hot dogs?" Johnny asked, looking at him like he was crazy.

"The guy looked like he was opening up, you got a better idea?" Roy waited for any other suggestions.

"I want ketchup and mustard," Johnny said.

He moved back over to Marie. "Marie, how about a deal?"

Marie turned to look into his brown eyes. "My partner here will go get us a couple of hot dogs, and you and I will just sit, no treatments, but you let me put this oxygen on you," Johnny gave her a crooked smile.

"With a smile like that, do women ever tell you no?" Marie asked.

"All the time," Roy quipped.

Marie gave a small laugh. "Just oxygen, no IV, and no doctor," she said.

Roy picked up the drug box and biophone and moved back to the squad. He put the drug box back in the compartment, but slipped the biophone onto the passenger seat. He'd call Rampart when he was away from Marie and explain the situation.

E

"Hey, Johnny, why don't you give me a hand?" Roy called out as he pulled back up to the victim and his partner.

Johnny got up off the grass and walked over to the squad.

"Dr. Brackett knows Marie. He's not surprised she's refusing treatment; she's spent more time in the hospital than out of it in the last six months. A rare form of ovarian cancer. He said try to get her to eat and drink something, give her oxygen and see if we can get her to let us call her a ride home. Dixie said she'd try to stop by and see her tonight. They became close over the last several months."

"Is she done with treatments, like better, or she just stopped treatments?" Johnny asked.

Roy just looked at him. Johnny dropped his head.

He picked up the tray of drinks and the bags of chips. "Marie, I hope you like RC cola, it looks like that is our only option," Johnny said, moving back to the young woman who he had helped scoot up the hill so she was now sitting up and leaning against a tree.

"Thanks," she said, reaching for the drink Johnny was handing her.

"I love this spot," she said as she took a drink. "It's probably the best spot in the park. Do you see that tree on the island in the water?"

Johnny nodded.

"There's a dove's nest in that tree. I used to walk here every day and watch the mother dove finding food in the park to take to her babies. I brought binoculars one time and you could see the baby doves. They were so little and fuzzy."

Marie bit into a hotdog with mustard and closed her eyes. "I was never much one for hot dogs," she said. "But, these are good," she smiled, letting herself enjoy the meal. The saltiness of the chips and cold drink. The hot dog bun was soft and slightly sweet.

Johnny realized he had eaten one hot dog already and had no idea what it had tasted like. He'd just scarfed it down.

He opened the second hot dog and took a bite. Slowly chewing it and actually taking the time to taste it. She was right, these were good hot dogs.

"I love the way the breeze feels against my skin. The sun is hot, but the breeze keeps your skin from feeling like it's burning. You can just feel the warmth seeping into your bones and muscles," Marie said, turning her head slightly to look at her two lunch companions.

Roy tilted his face toward the sun, letting himself feel the heat from the sun and also the cool breeze. She was right, it felt great. Roy heard Johnny take a deep breath and slowly exhale, seconds before he let out a sigh of his own. He could feel the stress of his morning slipping away.

Johnny heard Roy sigh and knew he was feeling the same way. The stress from the last few calls seemed to be draining from his body, Johnny briefly envisioned it floating away on the gentle breeze. Then shook his head for being so corny and turned back to look at his patient.

Her color was better, and her breathing seemed to be improving. She finished almost all of her hot dog, a few bites of chips and half her drink. Not bad, Johnny thought.

Johnny and Roy cleaned up the trash and dropped it into a nearby receptacle.

"Marie, can I check your vitals again?" Johnny asked.

Marie smiled at the handsome paramedic. He reached over and took her wrist. He slid his hand against her abdomen. "Better, but not great. I'd still really like to take you in and have you checked out," Johnny said hopefully, trying to give her a full smile.

"Sorry, handsome, not even that gorgeous smile is gonna change my mind. But, I'll let you help me up," Marie held out her hand to Johnny.

He took her hand and braced her elbow as he pulled her to her feet. He moved closer to support her as she swayed slightly.

"I'm okay," she said, as she smiled at him.

"Can we call someone to give you a ride home?" Roy asked.

"No, thank you. It's a beautiful day; I'm gonna finish my walk."

"Do you think you can make it?" Johnny asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Yes."

"Marie," Johnny said, his tone worried.

"I'll make you a deal, Paramedic Johnny Gage," Marie smiled at him, a bit flirtatiously. "If I can't make it, I'll get someone to call you."

Johnny gave her a full smile back, "Deal."

"Thank you for lunch," Marie said, leaning over and kissing Roy on the cheek. "And thanks for the oxygen," Marie said, giving Johnny a wink, and then kissing him on the cheek.

She had moved a few steps away.

"Marie," Johnny called out. He just stood looking at her. He knew what he wanted to ask, needed to ask, but he hesitated. Are you going to die, he heard the words in his head, but he couldn't say them? He couldn't verbalize something that seemed so unfair. She was so young.

Marie cocked her head and smiled a knowing smile, full of a lot more wisdom than her years. "Not today," she said.


End file.
